Dubois' Mom Talks About Meeting Gardner In Exclusive Interview

John Gardner To Be Sentenced Friday For Murdering Chelsea King And Amber Dubois

11:35 PM, May 12, 2010

Carrie McGonigle, the mother of murdered high school student Amber Dubois, spoke exclusively with 10News on Thursday about Friday's sentencing of John Gardner, the sex offender who admitted killing her daughter and high school senior Chelsea King.

In an interview with 10News reporter Rachel Bianco, McGonigle spoke about the victim's impact statement she will make Friday, two days after meeting face-to face with her daughter's killer.

During her meeting with Gardner Wednesday, McGonigle said he told her he was always willing to speak with her, but said his attorney prevented him from doing so.

Additionally, she told 10News she is struggling with her victim's impact statement, not because of the obvious painful reasons one could imagine, but because she was worried it would bring some sort of satisfaction to her daughter's killer.

"Any of these people that, you know, go around murdering children; murdering adults. I mean, to hear that they made the whole family suffer... [if] they're sick enough to do what they do, then why wouldn't it give them pleasure to, to hear how they hurt the family?" McGonigle said.

But after meeting with John Gardner face-to-face Wednesday afternoon, Carrie McGonigle said she now knows exactly what to say at Friday's sentencing, and now she is finally ready to move forward.

On Wednesday, a year-and-a-half after her daughter was kidnapped and killed, Carrie McGonigle finally met face-to-face with John Gardner, the man who killed her daughter, Amber Dubois, and heard first-hand what happened to her.

Family friend Tommy Sablan said McGonigle received a phone call around 2 p.m. to meet with the man who killed her daughter.

She was excited at work, packed up and went down there, he said.

When the moment finally came, two of the things McGonigle wanted to know were what Gardner said to get Amber in the car and why he chose her.

McGonigle did not want to reveal the answers to the questions out of respect for Ambers father Moe Dubois, who said hes not ready to hear them.

But Gardner never called and McGonigle even confronted his mother and sister at the jail on Tuesday, asking them to give up their visit so she could meet with him. They ignored her, but after their visit with Gardner, there was a confrontation between the women.

McGonigle described Gardners demeanor during the visit as nervous and respectful. Shelia Welch, who is McGonigles mother and Amber Dubois grandmother, spoke with McGonigle after her talk with Gardner but she said she was not prepared to hear the horrific details.

McGonigle said she does not know who allowed her to have the meeting but she said she will use what Gardner told her to write the victims impact statement she will read at Gardner's sentencing on Friday.

McGonigle told 10News Gardner answered all her questions, but did not say if Gardner would speak at his sentencing.

10News and 10News.com will have live coverage of Gardner's sentencing on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m.